SYLLABUS/OUTINE PRIVATE LESSON with MIKE MANGINI

Required Books per Proficiency Requirements.

Weeks 1-3:

Detailed discussions and demonstrations are related to both the Student's areas of interest and their Final Exam requirements. A relationship is made on a functional level bewtween the two, then a global perspective along with detailed task and objectives lists are made. It is imperitive that the student communicate an honest weekly schedule so that the 'real' practice time they have can be utilized.

The student is require to extract his/her Final Exam criteria from the Department Handbook, and they are required to navigate to it from the main Berklee website even though the link is on this website.

An advising/review/introduction session happens in the first lesson, but truly, advising occurs almost every week as part of the application of the material to school and out of school life. It also occurs during 'advising' and office hour visits, as well as, through e-mails. Very special attention is given to relating the material to the career, but an absolute agreement to learn the material that the student doesn't prefer (usually the required material) is made. This agreement is crucial because the student cannot properly decide to like or dislike the material until they can at least play it.

Therefore, the student must keep a notebook and bring it to every class in order to stay on top of the mix between final exam and personal material.

The student is reminded there are no strict rules for talking to me anytime about anything. Appointments via email are encouraged in order to ensure a discussion. Given a tight schedule, the only way to visit anytime would mean to infilrate another student's time. However, the inbetween time can at least give the student a face to face chance to ask a quick question.

The class material is based on the use of the voice for devoping an internal clock and dialog, and on using the eyes for learning what and where to hit things.

Weeks 4-Midterm:

'Real' practice time is increased over time due to, and related to the student's understanding of how difficult it really is to develop better practice habits.

Materials from the students other classes are worked on in the private lesson on a functional level. This means that the student can relate everything they practice to areas of technique, coordination, and finally to overall skills and musicality. These areas are the real focus as to not overload the student with material. On the contrary, the student is able to get through more material by having their reading and playing skills more developed from exercises. One example of an exercise for a student is to work on reading a snare piece while either playing a 'double bass' or 'style based' foot ostinato 'underneath' the hand patterns dictated by the snare piece.

Although there is no Midterm, there is an accouting of the 1st half of the semester. This accounting includes all the personal tasks and Final Exam criteria. As the student, required by Me, has to play through every component of the Final Exam at least twice on a very basic level, the emphasis is on the functional components that relate the two. They are:

Internal Clock, Subdivions used with the voice, Management of Limbs, Knowledge of the Patterns & Beats.

Weeks 9-12:

These weeks are spent fine tuning the transitions between bars and sections in the material both required and chosen. Advanced practice systems are introduced and used in the class in order to help the student stay interested and focussed during peronal practice.

Weeks 13-Proficiency:

These weeks are spent first writing out a presentation outline for the proficiency, and secondly, spent repeating the proficiency in class and fine tuning it. Learning proficiency material at this time is not acceptable. There is just not enough time for the muscle memory to 'take' in a way that will allow the student to play well under stress. A strict understanding of performance anxiety and problems is weaved into the class. I personally try to make it difficult to perform so that the student learns to deal with adversity. Although I have "fun" with this component, I never reveal how I am to "mess with " the student's state of mind.